Frejau's foudre-aged 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape offers up scents of medicinal mint and leather with just hints of cherry, while the flavors are overwhelmingly dry and leathery—bringing back childhood memories of a dusty tack room and old horse sweat. Where'd the fruit go?

The medium ruby-colored 2008 Chateauneuf du Pape exhibits lots of autumnal/vegetative notes intermixed with hints of damp earth, spice box, pepper and washed out cherry fruit. Pleasant and easygoing, it is best drunk over the next several years. No known American importer.

The 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape from Domaine Lou Frejau is dry and savory, with lots of cedar, spice-box and dried fruits in a medium-bodied package. It lacks fruit and texture, and needs to be drunk up.

The 1994 Chateauneuf du Pape possesses a spicy, peppery, black olive-scented nose, medium body, average concentration, good purity, and a spicy, herbaceous finish. Drink it over the next 4-5 years. This wine was tasted between June 1 and June 16, 1996. Importer: Alain Junguenet, Wines of France, Mountainside, NJ; tel. (908) 654-6173

Both of these wines from Serge Chastan's Domaine Lou Frejau performed well in my tastings. The 1990 red Chateauneuf du Pape offers a big, nicely scented, herbal, jammy nose, as well as ripe, unctuous, full-bodied flavors reminiscent of black-cherries and fruitcake. The finish is sweet, round, spicy, and alcoholic. While it will not make old bones, it is a smart choice for drinking over the next 7-8 years. Importer: Wines of France, an Alain Junguenet Selection, Mountainside, NJ.